Wooded Island Bird Walk Report

It was a horribly hot and humid day, but our resident birds made the sweaty walk worthwhile. A Great Blue Heron caught a huge fish, brought it up to the bank of the north lagoon, and then wasn’t sure what to do with it. He would pick it up, dropped it, pecked at it, then looked at it with a puzzled expression on his face. I hope that he didn’t try to swallow it because the fish was way too big to slide down his throat.

High in the sky we saw a Turkey Vulture being chased by a smaller bird, which we’re pretty sure was a Cooper’s Hawk. The hawk and vulture flew up and down and back and forth and then out of our sight so we don’t know how that saga ended, but the hawk looked very determined so I doubt if that vulture will be back any time soon.

Next Saturday is the annual Chosen Few DJs picnic on the soccer field which will result in no access to our usual parking lot or the soccer field, plus lots of people and noise, so our usual walk is cancelled for Saturday July 7th. I hope to see everyone the following Saturday.

BIRDERS: Steve, Tracy, Marian, Bruce, Eric, Karin D, Jennie

TIME: 8:00am to 10:30am

WEATHER: Very hot and humid with little breeze.

Thanks to Eric for his Ebird list.

X = commonly seen and/or not counted.

Jackson Park, Chicago--Wooded Island/Bobolink Meadow area

Jun 30, 2018

8:07 AM

Traveling

1.50 miles

125 Minutes

All birds reported? Yes

X Canada Goose

1 Wood Duck

14 Mallard

2 Double-crested Cormorant

5 Great Blue Heron -- 1 with oversize fish

1 Green Heron

1 Turkey Vulture

3 Ring-billed Gull

1 Caspian Tern

5 Chimney Swift

1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

1 Eastern Wood-Pewee

1 Eastern Phoebe

3 Eastern Kingbird

5 Warbling Vireo

1 Red-eyed Vireo

5 American Crow

10 Purple Martin

X Barn Swallow

4 Cliff Swallow

X swallow sp.

2 Black-capped Chickadee

5 House Wren -- 2 on light pole #40

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

9 American Robin

3 Gray Catbird

4 European Starling

6 Yellow Warbler

3 Chipping Sparrow

2 Song Sparrow

3 Northern Cardinal

3 Indigo Bunting

3 Baltimore Oriole

3 Red-winged Blackbird

5 Brown-headed Cowbird

1 Common Grackle

5 American Goldfinch

4 House Sparrow

2 passerine sp. -- Young sparrows

Number of Taxa: 39

This is a group report, with many birders contributing to the list. Most of the birds were seen by at least several or all of the birders.

Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.

Recordings are not used to attract birds.

The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year round. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Darrow Bridge: Darrow Bridge has been barricaded by the Department of Transportation. A high black iron fence has been erected on all four sides. The fence will remain in place until Darrow Bridge is completely rebuilt, which could be several years away. The Bridge has been deemed unsafe.

Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. covers a distance of two miles. Birders walk counterclockwise around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) onto Wooded Island. Exiting Wooded Island at the south end, the birders walk along the soccer field and enter the south end of Bobolink Meadow. The Meadow’s path leads to the Music Bridge and back to the East Parking Lot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront and Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital, and the Inner Harbor.

Directions: Exit Lake Shore Drive at Science Drive, which is the stoplight just south of the major 57th Drive intersection by the Museum of Science and Industry. Turn Left (south) at the stop sign at the intersection of Science Drive and Columbia Drive. Go through the parking lot to the southwest end. Metered parking is available and birders meet in the southwest corner of the east parking lot.

It was a horribly hot and humid day, but our resident birds made the sweaty walk worthwhile. A Great Blue Heron caught a huge fish, brought it up to the bank of the north lagoon, and then wasn’t sure what to do with it. He would pick it up, dropped it, pecked at it, then looked at it with a puzzled expression on his face. I hope that he didn’t try to swallow it because the fish was way too big to slide down his throat.

High in the sky we saw a Turkey Vulture being chased by a smaller bird, which we’re pretty sure was a Cooper’s Hawk. The hawk and vulture flew up and down and back and forth and then out of our sight so we don’t know how that saga ended, but the hawk looked very determined so I doubt if that vulture will be back any time soon.

Next Saturday is the annual Chosen Few DJs picnic on the soccer field which will result in no access to our usual parking lot or the soccer field, plus lots of people and noise, so our usual walk is cancelled for Saturday July 7th. I hope to see everyone the following Saturday.

BIRDERS: Steve, Tracy, Marian, Bruce, Eric, Karin D, Jennie

TIME: 8:00am to 10:30am

WEATHER: Very hot and humid with little breeze.

Thanks to Eric for his Ebird list.

X = commonly seen and/or not counted.

Jackson Park, Chicago--Wooded Island/Bobolink Meadow area

Jun 30, 2018

8:07 AM

Traveling

1.50 miles

125 Minutes

All birds reported? Yes

X Canada Goose

1 Wood Duck

14 Mallard

2 Double-crested Cormorant

5 Great Blue Heron -- 1 with oversize fish

1 Green Heron

1 Turkey Vulture

3 Ring-billed Gull

1 Caspian Tern

5 Chimney Swift

1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

1 Eastern Wood-Pewee

1 Eastern Phoebe

3 Eastern Kingbird

5 Warbling Vireo

1 Red-eyed Vireo

5 American Crow

10 Purple Martin

X Barn Swallow

4 Cliff Swallow

X swallow sp.

2 Black-capped Chickadee

5 House Wren -- 2 on light pole #40

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

9 American Robin

3 Gray Catbird

4 European Starling

6 Yellow Warbler

3 Chipping Sparrow

2 Song Sparrow

3 Northern Cardinal

3 Indigo Bunting

3 Baltimore Oriole

3 Red-winged Blackbird

5 Brown-headed Cowbird

1 Common Grackle

5 American Goldfinch

4 House Sparrow

2 passerine sp. -- Young sparrows

Number of Taxa: 39

This is a group report, with many birders contributing to the list. Most of the birds were seen by at least several or all of the birders.

Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.

Recordings are not used to attract birds.

The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year round. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Darrow Bridge: Darrow Bridge has been barricaded by the Department of Transportation. A high black iron fence has been erected on all four sides. The fence will remain in place until Darrow Bridge is completely rebuilt, which could be several years away. The Bridge has been deemed unsafe.

Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. covers a distance of two miles. Birders walk counterclockwise around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) onto Wooded Island. Exiting Wooded Island at the south end, the birders walk along the soccer field and enter the south end of Bobolink Meadow. The Meadow’s path leads to the Music Bridge and back to the East Parking Lot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront and Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital, and the Inner Harbor.

Directions: Exit Lake Shore Drive at Science Drive, which is the stoplight just south of the major 57th Drive intersection by the Museum of Science and Industry. Turn Left (south) at the stop sign at the intersection of Science Drive and Columbia Drive. Go through the parking lot to the southwest end. Metered parking is available and birders meet in the southwest corner of the east parking lot.